Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89183 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“He took a work call in the car, and it was like he was speaking a foreign language. Actually, it put me to sleep.”
Mari laughed at that, but then grew serious. “I just hope he’s happy. I’m not trying to be nosy, but I’ve come to know the Sullivans so well since I moved to London and started dating Owen that I find myself worrying about all of them from time to time. Maybe it’s just that I am so blissfully happy now, and I want the same for everyone.”
Josie smiled at the woman she already considered a friend. “I can’t wait to hear more about the marvelous Owen Sullivan.”
“That’s good, because I have a hard time not talking about him. You’ll have to tell me when to put a lid on it if it gets boring.”
“Are you kidding? There’s nothing I like better than tales of true love. Even if I find them more believable in fiction.”
“I used to feel that way too. I never thought I would find that kind of love for myself.”
“It’s wonderful that you did,” Josie said. “I’m really happy for you.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet Owen. He’s smart and kind and loves books as much as we do. He’s also pretty easy on the eyes. Well, you met Malcolm, so you can imagine.”
If Owen was half as gorgeous as Malcolm Sullivan, he’d be up there with the best-looking guys Josie had ever seen.
“Anyway, enough about my love life,” Mari said. “Sit down while there’s a little lull before more customers or Mathilda Westcott fans come in. Tell me how your flight was.”
“It was great. I probably should’ve slept, but I was so excited about coming to Elderflower Island to work with you. And I was on the last half of Tasmina Perry’s latest.”
“I couldn’t put that book down either,” Mari said. “I won’t keep you too long so that you can take a nap, but be forewarned—don’t sleep for more than an hour, or you won’t sleep tonight. I went through that myself. I live upstairs, so you know where to find me if you need anything.”
“I love how you’re actually living the fantasy in your home above the bookstore that you own!”
“Every day, I have to pinch myself,” Mari agreed with a smile. “It’s not that there aren’t plenty of difficult aspects about owning and running a bookstore, especially in a country that I didn’t grow up in. But with the help of Owen and his family, and all of the other welcoming people on Elderflower Island, it’s been so much easier for me than it would otherwise have been. Especially because I came here after my estranged father died and willed his store and home to me out of the blue.”
“Wow, it sounds like you have a lot of stories to tell.”
“I do, and I’m sure you’ll hear them all soon enough, but for right now, I’d love to know more about you. How did you get the idea to set up reading retreats as a profession? I read what you said on your website, and of course we talked about it on Zoom and over email, but I can’t help but wonder, was there some sort of incident or pivotal moment one day that made you want to completely change your career?”
Josie was silent for a moment as she sipped her tea. “Just like in a novel, there was definitely an inciting incident.”
“I don’t mean to pry, so you can tell me to butt out—”
Josie shook her head. “It’s not prying. It’s important backstory, where you need to know why the heroine is behaving the way she is.”
“Ah, I love someone who talks about real life with genre-fiction vocabulary.”
They both grinned at that. But then Josie’s smile faded. “I thought I was in love. I thought I had the rest of my happy-ever-after planned out. Perfect guy. Perfect life. Get married. Have children. White picket fence.” She paused for a moment. “And then one day, there was a knock on the door.”
Mari grimaced. “An unexpected knock on the door is rarely ever good in a novel, or in real life, is it?”
Josie sighed. “You can say that again. A woman I’d never seen before was standing on my front porch, holding a six-month-old baby girl.”
“Your boyfriend’s wife and daughter, I presume?”
Josie nodded. “Every time I’ve read books with that storyline, I always questioned, how could the woman not know that the man she was dating had a whole other life? I mean, how could anybody be that blind? How could someone be that lost inside their own fantasies that they couldn’t see what was right there in front of them?”
She took another sip of tea, as though that would help settle her stormy emotions. Even after all this time, simply talking about her boyfriend’s betrayal riled her up.